It is often said in football that the matches defy scriptwriters, the action seemingly so unbelievable that nobody could have predicted what would happen. Manchester City versus Bournemouth was not one of those matches.
Pep Guardiola's Premier League title-winning machine up against a newly-promoted side that everybody expects to go down always looked like one of the bigger mismatches of the competition, and from the first whistle never threatened to look like anything else. Even still, it needed the help of new superstar Erling Haaland for a second successive week to make the Blue supremacy count.
Just in case it isn't tiring enough chasing a Guardiola side that has perfected the art of keeping the ball, Bournemouth arrived at the Etihad in temperatures more befitting the south coast. With drinks breaks introduced in light of the game being played in heat above 30 degrees, the task for Scott Parker and his men was simple: keep City out for four quarters.
Also read: City player ratings as De Bruyne runs Bournemouth ragged
Unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, they couldn't. City were all over them from the off, with four corners in the opening seven minutes and Jack Stacey facing up to an even longer afternoon in the sun after getting booked for desperately hauling Riyad Mahrez down.
Bournemouth did hold out for over 17 minutes, but were undone by the strength and finesse of City's new No.9. There was an extra fizz in the crowd whenever the ball got played into the box, although it was further from goal that the Norwegian made an impact.
As Ilkay Gundogan played the ball into Haaland 25 yards out, he used his power to hold off both Jefferson Lerma and Ben Pearson before, as he fell to the turf, dinking it back into the path of City's final-day hero from last season to score the first home goal of the new campaign. The 22-year-old said when he arrived that he was happy to be double-marked if it freed up space for his teammates and did exactly that.
Things got significantly worse for the visitors after the first drinks break, and it was largely of their own doing. Kevin De Bruyne does not need much time or space to make it count, so the sight of defenders running away from him as he progressed up the pitch was always going to spell danger; the Belgian casually slotted the ball past the goalkeeper inside the box with the outside of his boot.
Minutes later, De Bruyne had an assist as the movement of Phil Foden was too good for three Bournemouth defenders and he made up for an earlier miss by scoring the third. One routine save aside, Ederson may as well have been on Bournemouth beach for the first half.
Guardiola used the break to put Jack Grealish on in place of Foden, and the former Aston Villa man was given license to roam up and inside on the last line of Bournemouth's defence with Joao Cancelo pushing up to offer width on the left. The sight of Grealish, Haaland, De Bruyne, and Mahrez all waiting to be in on goal can't have rushed any confidence back into an away team that continued to look terrified whenever Haaland got within 10 yards of the ball.
Bournemouth offered discipline in the second half but with them never looking like getting back into the game the action took on the feel of a sleepy summer afternoon in the park, City knocking it around with ease and going for goal whenever they fancied. With the result not in doubt, it was as free a hit as Guardiola is likely to get to try whatever and whoever he wanted on the pitch.
That included the first Premier League minutes of the season for Bernardo Silva, the ever-popular player who Barcelona continue to pursue and City continue to rebut. As soon as he stripped off to come on, the Etihad began chanting his name and the singing only paused to give him a standing ovation as he entered the pitch; during the drinks break minutes later, two stands repeated the tune on loop.
Cancelo's cross was smashed in by Lerma to compound a miserable afternoon for Bournemouth and another fruitful afternoon in the sun for City. Two games, six points.
The only thing missing from an otherwise faultless display was the chance to give Premier League debuts to both of his two young full-backs that Guardiola insists are part of his plans for the season having failed to sign top target Marc Cucurella. City's decision to keep 21-year-old Sergio Gomez rather than loan him to Girona as originally planned is a significant concern for the squad even if it looks to be the only one.
Academy prospects Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Rico Lewis were both hoping for a chance although Lewis was the only one to make it on - becoming the fifth youngest City debutant in the Premier League. There will be other opportunities, but this felt like one of the easiest introductions they could ask for to build some rhythm in the team
After the tension the last time a match was played at this ground, it made for a welcome start to the new campaign for so much of this game to pass without incident. City got the goals they needed to in the first half, then strolled through the second while maintaining another clean sheet to ensure their prospects still look as bright as the sunshine.
If there were any concerns over the Community Shield defeat, the last two weeks have been perfect for City and for Haaland. The champions are already five points ahead of the team expected to challenge them the hardest this season, and their star signing has two goals and an assist from about 150 minutes of football. So many debates and questions around the high-profile move are already over, and Guardiola's side look set to challenge again for the biggest prizes.
City won't surprise many people this season, but that won't make them any less watchable.
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